INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -
On a day more reminiscent of the final day in November rather than the last day of May, the second day of the NCAA Championships took place Saturday at Eagle Creek Reservoir.

The field had to contend with blustery conditions that included temperatures in the 50s and winds that gusted over 30 miles an hour.

In the raw elements, the Cougar varsity eight squad finished third in the consolation final and recorded a 15th place finish at the national championships.

WSU rowed to a time of 6:27.74 over the 2000m course, just behind second place Boston's 6:27.61 and nearly five seconds better than Tennessee. Michigan State took the race with a time of 6:22.99.

"I was really proud of their effort," WSU Head Coach Jane LaRiviere said of the varsity eight crew. "The conditions were very rough. They rowed really tough and showed a lot of fight. I am really proud of them."

The second varsity eight placed fifth in its Repechage heat and will race in Sunday's Petite Final at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard/Central Daylight Time. The Cougars will face Yale, Virginia, Michigan, Michigan State and Stanford in the Petite.

The varsity four clocked a time of 7:22.80 to place fourth in its Repechage heat. The Cougars rowed the fastest final 500m split time in the race (1:48.64) and nearly overtook Washington for third position.

"The varsity four rowed a great race and they felt like they had a great race," LaRiviere said.

WSU will compete in the Petite Final at 9:45 a.m. against Stanford, Princeton, Washington, Virginia and Michigan State.

To follow the championships as it happens go to www.racetrak.com. The site will capture 500 meter splits from each race and display those results in real-time.